Lowering device.



R. MENDEZ.

LOWERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28,1913.

LMQ QQO Patented June 29, 1915.

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' Raul Mendez.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca, F'HOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

RAUL MENDEZ, OF CURACAO, DUTCH WEST INDIES.

LOWERING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Application filed July 28, 1913. Serial No. 781,528.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RAUL MnNDnz, a citizen of Venezuela, residing at Curacao, Dutch West Indies, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lowering Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to automatic lowering conveyers especially adapted for use as a fire escape, and one of the objects of my invention is to provide in a device of the above indicated character, a guard or gate rail which will be automatically opened as the device approaches the ground and closed as the device ascends.

It is a further object to provide a manual control to regulate the fall of the conveyer or escape; to provide a means for fastening the device in preset position and to provide a suitable guiding means for controlling the direction of movement of the conveyer in its movements.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious and in part more fully pointed out in the following description of one form of the invention which also consists in the new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention and in which the reference characters refer to similar parts in the several figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a framing showing a preferred embodiment of my invention in raised position thereon, and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the lower portion of the frame showing the conveyer in lowered position.

In the drawings is shown a frame 1 which may be installed in any position where it is desired to lower a lading from an upper to a lower level and the device is particularly adapted as a fire escape to be positioned in front of a building or which may be mounted upon a suitable running gear so that it may be conveyed from place to place as necessity demands. The frame includes suitably spaced apart upstanding guides 2 disposed between which and adapted for vertical movement thereon is a platform or conveyer 3 suitably counter-balanced by means of the weights 4 attached by means of flexible connections 5 to the platform 3 and passing over the pulleys 6 mounted upon asuitable portion of the framing 1 such as the strut 7 These counterweights are arranged to act on the platform 3 tending to hold the same in the raised position shown in Fig. 1 and are so regulated that any weight upon the platform 3 will lower the same into the position shown in Fig. 2. The platform is preferably surrounded by a protecting hand rail or fence 8, one portion 9 of which is formed into a gate adapted to be raised above the platform and above the remaining portion of the fence 8, so as to form a gateway 10 permitting egression from the platform 3.

In order to guide the gate 9 in its movement to and from the closing position, opposite transverse sides of the same are fastened to depending braces 11 which braces are slidably mounted in sleeves 12 carried by the fence 8 on opposite sides of the gateway 10. These braces 11 extend below the platform 3 for such a distance that when the lower end of the braces 11 is in engage ment with the ground the gate 9 will be raised in position above the platform 3 a distance suflicient to permit easy passage through the gateway 10.

If desired a tread plate 13 may be formed at the base of the braces 11 so that the last person out of the conveyer can step on this tread plate 13 to prevent the gate 9 from rising before the person is clear of the same.

In order to ease the fall of the conveyer, a suitable manually controlled clutch is provided and for this purpose there is shown a plurality of cables 14 extending in the direction of movement of the conveyer and passing through guiding sleeves 15 on the conveyer also mounted on which conveyer-s are clutch mechanisms such as the spring pressed fingers 16 frictionally engaging the cables 14.

In order to retain the conveyer in a raised or lowered position or any other predetermined position, suitable automatic catches 17 are provided.

In operation with the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1 the movement of a person or a lading on to the platform 3 will over-balance the weights 1 causing the platform 3 to move toward the ground. As the conveyer approaches the ground the tread plate 13 will engage the ground and assume the horizontal position shown in Fig. 2 and the end of the braces 11 will then engage the ground holding the gate 9 in the elevated position shown in Fig. 2 permitting the braces to thread through the guiding sleeves 12 and allowing the conveyer to move into the lowered position shown in Fig. 2. By means of the clutches 16, he occupant of the conveyor can manually control the speed of descent of the conveyer.,

It is obvious that by means of a structure of this character, a simple and economical lowering means is provided, which will automatically return to its elevated position without mechanical or other power, and which is arranged to protect the occupants until the same is at or near the ground. Further, a simple mechanism is provided for preventing a too rapid descent and for stopping the conveyer at any desired level.

\Vhile I have shown one form of embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that various changes within the skill of the mechanic may be made therein without departing'from the spirit of the invention, provided the means set forth in the following claims are employed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is v 1. In a lowering conveyer, the combination with a counterbalanced horizontal platform, of an upstanding gate, protecting said platform and carried thereby, and a Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the projection depending from said gate below said platform when the same 1s 1n ralsed position and adapted to engage the ground when the platform is lowered thereby to support said gate in raised position above the platform when the same is adjacent the ground.

2. In a lowering conveyer, the combination with a frame including vertical guiding means, of a platform guided in said means for vertical movement, a gate vertically movable relative to said platform and braces depending from said gate adapted to outline a gate-way for said platform when in its lowered position.

3. In a lowering conveyer, the combination with a frame including vertical guiding means, of a platform guided in said means for vertical movement, a gate vertically movable relative to said platform, braces depending from said gate'adapted to outline a gate way for said platform when in its lowered position, and a tread plate pivoted to said braces and affording a means for holding said platform in position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

RAUL MENDEZ.

Witnesses:

W. S. OR'roN, JULIAN A. ARROYO.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

